Summer is approaching quickly, which means the days are getting hotter and longer, and every weekend more people choose to enjoy the many water-related activities that Idaho has to offer. From natural landmarks like lakes and rivers to neighborhood pools, Idaho is one of the most water-rich states in the country, and as a community, we don’t always consider the risks involved. In fact, our state leads the country with the highest unintentional drowning rate, second only to Florida. That number is simply too high, and we don’t want any more children in our community to be a part of that statistic.
It’s time to draw awareness to the often overlooked epidemic of water safety. May is National Water Safety Month, and we will be working diligently to not only educate our local community but also our society as a whole on the importance of water safety and learning how to swim.
We’ve found that the most effective way to spread awareness is by making it fun for everyone involved, and that’s exactly what we plan to do. Throughout the month of May, we will offer a series of activities and giveaways for our students and their parents. Here is how you can participate.
- Each week we will have a different focus, and participating in each activity gets you entered into our weekly drawing!
- Week 1 – Coloring contest
- Week 2 – Water safety awareness on social media
- Week 3 – Submit swim photos via our app
- Week 4 – Share what your kiddos learned this month
For more information about our weekly contests, you can visit our website for the full details.
In addition to our weekly focus, we will be spreading awareness for water safety by having the following activities throughout the Month of May:
- We will feature daily questions via our social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter and Instagram). The first person with the correct response gets to pick from our prize box and everyone who responds gets entered to win in our weekly drawing.
- We will post daily swim tips to our social media accounts. Any time you share one of these swim tips, use the hashtag #KnowTheFLOW and tag @FLOWAquatics, and you will be entered to win our weekly drawing. Follow us on our social media pages to get updates right away!
- We will be sharing personal stories from our coaches and staff that highlight their vast knowledge of water safety. We’ve learned a lot from their experience, and we’re sure you will, too!
To get started we are going to talk about FLOW’s top seven swim safety tips. These include having water watchers, proper life jackets, and perhaps the most important learning to swim. View the full post here and share it on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #KnowTheFLOW and tag us @FLOWAquatics to be entered in our first drawing. (Note: If sharing on Facebook, make sure the post’s audience is set to “Public”.)
Have fun!